Freedom of Information
The Citizens Information Board, as Comhairle, became subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation from 1 October 2001. The Freedom of Information Act 2014 imposes various duties on public bodies and certain other bodies which are subject to it, and gives certain rights to individuals to access the records of the bodies concerned.
Publication scheme
To facilitate access to information, the Freedom of Information Act 2014 requires an FOI body to publish information about itself in conformity with a model publication scheme that was approved by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The information published under the Citizens Information Board publication scheme can be accessed via the menu on the left.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- Access records held by the Citizens Information Board
- Correct any personal information relating to yourself which is held by the Citizens Information Board and which you consider to be inaccurate, incomplete or misleading
- Be given reasons for decisions made by the Citizens Information Board which affect you personally
The records held by the Citizens Information Board to which you are entitled to get access are:
- Records created since 21 April 1998
- Records created before that date which are necessary in order to understand subsequent records
- Personal information held by the Citizens Information Board, regardless of when the record was created
Making an FOI request for records
If you cannot find the information you are looking for on the website or through enquiries and wish to make an FOI request:
- Your request should be made in writing or by email and should indicate that the information is sought under the FOI Act 2014.
- You should indicate if you want the information in a particular form (for example, photocopy, CD-ROM, etc.).
- You should give as much detail as possible to enable us to identify the records. If you have difficulty in identifying the precise records which you require, we will be happy to help you in preparing your request.
- You may be required to prove your identity, especially if you are looking for personal information. So you may, therefore, be asked to produce your passport, driving licence, birth certificate, or other appropriate identification.
We are obliged under the FOI Act 2014 to acknowledge your request within two weeks and to make a decision within four weeks.
You should send your request to:
Please submit your request electronically, where possible.
If you are not happy with the initial decision on your request or if you do not receive notification of a decision, you may apply for an internal review of the decision (or absence of decision) to:
You should look for an internal review within four weeks of receiving the initial decision or the absence of an initial decision (that is, within eight weeks of your initial request).
We are obliged to conduct an internal review within three weeks of receiving your application. If you are still unhappy with the decision or you have not received a reply to your request for an internal review, you may appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
Charges
The Citizens Information Board is obliged by the legislation to charge fees for certain records accessed under the FOI Act 2014.
Personal records
There is no charge for access to personal records, for correcting or amending personal information or for getting access to decisions which directly affect you.
Other records
Fees will be charged for the work involved in processing the records that are released if the total cost exceeds €100. These fees are as follows:
- €20 per hour of search and retrieval
- €0.04 per sheet for a photocopy
- €10 for a CD-ROM containing copy of documents
- €6 for a radiograph (X-ray) containing copy documents
You will have to pay a deposit of 20% of the estimated cost of search and retrieval if the estimated cost of finding the records requested is more than €100.
If you apply for an internal review, you have to pay €30 (or €10 if you are a medical card holder). The fee for an appeal to the Information Commissioner is €50 (or €15 for a medical card holder).
Further information
You can find further information in our Freedom of Information Guide (doc) and at www.foi.gov.ie.